About: James Montgomery Flagg was a painter, cartoonist, and illustrator, best known for his "Uncle Sam Wants You" recruitment poster for World War I. This drawing was probably created for one of the humorous short stories he illustrated. Flagg's strong, clean lines and ability to capture personality in expression and gesture made him reportedly the highest-paid illustrator in America at his peak.
Flagg grew up near New York City and published his first illustration in the children's magazine St. Nicholas when he was 12. At 14 he provided illustrations to the humor magazines Life and Judge. He then studied at the Art Students League in New York; at the Herkomer School in England; and with Victor Marec in Paris. His first book Yankee Girls Abroad (1898) featured the characters who would become known as the Flagg Girls. When the Edison film company produced movie shorts based on the Girls, Flagg himself performed in them, winning good reviews. Besides his numerous illustrations, he also created paintings and sculpture.

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